The Northman Returns
by Rebecca Arrington Jones
Summary: This is a submission for the Weekly One-Shot Challenge Week 9 on Sunday, March 2 Theme: God gives every bird a worm, but he does not throw it into the nest. –Swedish Proverb This story picks up where Season six ends, as Eric finds himself in a fiery predictament.


The searing pain and flames engulfed Eric Northman on the summit of the Swedish mountain top. He knew there was no escape from his end this time. He could not move and pleaded for the true death to take him quickly. Suddenly, Eric was engulfed by a freezing wind and violent snow storm that poured over the peak, blocking the rays of the sun. The flames died and Eric laid a charred mass upon the snow. He could hear the sound of bells and hear a voice whisper on the wind, "Northman you are mine and I will heal you for your promise to me. Do you agree?"

Eric could not move and before everything went dark in his mind he gasped, "Yes…"

Eric awoke in the dark to an unusual glow radiating from various cracks along an earthen wall. As his eyes adjusted he could tell that he lay on a birch bed covered with furs. Not far from the bed was what appeared to be an entrance to this protective cave. He moved slowly towards the entrance of the cave to discover where it was that he now found himself. Eric could see the moonlit, snow-covered ground and surrounding woods. He could see too the stars and aurora borealis dancing in green and pink in the night sky. The trees around the open meadow ahead of him were so tight together in places it looked like walls of a fort. To his right, outside the overhang, he could noted a fire in what looked like a stone hearth. It was like being indoors and out at the same time. It reminded him of when he made love to Sookie.

His skin felt tight and cold, but he was no longer charred from what he could see. His legs looked normal and his arms, but there was something different that lingered. A vampire had many senses that the normal human lacked and Eric knew something was different and something else was present nearby. Eric could hear the bells again and it made a memory flash through his mind to his family and childhood. He had been a child when he had climbed the ridge near his families lodge in the winter to retrieve a ewe that had wandered away from their small herd. It was close to sunset when he had reached the top of the ridge and he remembered the beauty of the sun setting on the fjord. He could hear his mother calling and he was trying to urge the ewe down the slope. He had heard the same type of bells and turned to see a beautiful woman in white walking towards him. She offered him her hand and with a voice of honey and milk said, "Eric take my hand and I will help you home."

As the memory disappeared, Eric turned to see the same woman walking towards him. He could smell her too and she smelled of summer grass, honey, and the air off the fjord. It overwhelmed his senses and desire boiled in his blood. There was only one type of being that smelled that good and that was fay or fairies.

"Who are you and what have you done to me," Eric growled defensively with his fangs down and eyes glaring at the creäture.

"Eric I brought you here to heal and you lay in my realm," she answered. The fairy's skin was almost iridescent in the moonlight and her hair was the color of fire, reminding him of Jessica.

"Your realm," Eric was ready to lung at her.

"Yes, to the Saligen, my home between worlds."

Eric relaxed slightly recognizing the name to which she mentioned and questioning asked, "You're a fairy?"

"Yes, you may call me Agneta," she paused and with a devilish smile, "Your people know me by many names including wilden frulein, schneefräulein, or in English, ice fairy. However, you and I have met before. I was bound to help your family by your mother."

Eric relaxed completely and he could hear the of his mother in the morning begging Mother Nature to protect and care for her family. He never believed the way his mother had in the mystic power of Mother Nature. Every spring she would do the Dance of Life and sacrifice a young lamb.

"You were there... when I was a boy!" He immediately thought about the night his parents died. "If you were bound to help my family why did you not save them the night of their brutal slaying by the werewolves?"

"I cannot stop all creatures. Humans are easy yes, but supernatural creatures have various powers and I could not stop them all or their master. Just as I could not come to you until you were in a weakened state."

Eric's anger and thirst grew unbearable and he lunged into the moonlight to take the fairy. He did not know what powers he would absorb, but he hoped like Sookie or Warlow it would allow him time in the sun and maybe a chance to return to Bon Temps. As he caught her arm in surprise, his fangs went deep in the artery and the blood hit his system fast and hard.

Agneta blasted Eric with an eerie blue light from her palm, like the golden light Sookie possessed. Eric reeled away in pain and he felt as if a spike was being driven through his head. His body felt as if it was pierced by tiny blades and he fell to the ground on his knees. "Ahhh...What are you doing to me!"

"Serves you right! You cannot drink my blood in that way Eric Northman." The wound on her arm healed instantly and she stepped back away from him. "If you are hungry, I can nourish you in a different way."

"What is this? Stop the pain!"

"The pain will go away soon vampire. You see my blood is like the frozen water fresh from the glacier; clean and pure. It does not feed you like a human or other fairies might." Agneta eyed him sideways and added, "I know you have tasted fairy blood before or you would not have been able to be on the peak in the daylight when I found you."

Agneta continued, "You can consume only the very smallest amount of my blood at any time for the purpose of healing. My blood will change you as well...so heed my warning and do not try to drink me again!" She closed her eyes and summoned a red deer. It came trotting out of the woods and stopped near the fire. It just stood there to Eric's astonishment. Next, Agneta gathered snow from the ground and a crystal goblet appeared out of the snow that she cupped in her hands. She walked to the beast that stomped the ground confused. She reached out and touched the beast as if to comfort it and the deer knelt down to the ground. With her free hand she took another handful of snow and a crystal dagger appeared. She quickly made a small puncture to the neck of the deer and caught the blood of the beast in the goblet. The deer moaned and eventually rose to its feet and left. Agneta returned with the deer blood to Eric, who was trying to stand up now.

"Show me your fangs!" she commanded.

Eric opened his mouth and she pricked her finger on the tip of one fang. A single droplet formed on the tip of her finger and she swirled it in the blood, "Drink!"

Eric hated drinking the blood of animals and it was difficult to take the goblet.

"Drink it and enjoy!"

He sniffed the cup and all he could smell was her essence. He cautiously tasted the blood and to his surprise it tasted of the finest ice wine made from the first frosted grapes in fall. A tingling sensation permeated his body. He felt better and stronger; yet again different.

Suddenly he realized that the dawn was breaking and felt the need to hide from the sun. "I must sleep or I will fry in the sun again and everything you have done to help me will be lost."

"No Eric, from now on my blood is a part of you and you will be able to walk at dawn and dusk and in the fog, rain, or snow during the day as I do. You will not be at your strongest, you will still bleed, but you will be able to see the sunset again as in your youth. Day by day it will be different for you."

"What are you talking about? I am a vampire, or have you forgotten?"

"My blood has begun to purify your vampire blood. A fight has begun in your very cells and one day you will have to decide - be a vampire or be a human. I have given you back your humanity. You can feel more now than when you were just a vampire. And now for your promise to me Northman."

Eric stood stunned. How was this possible? Once a vampire there was no going back, but this being had changed all that. Suspiciously Eric answered, "What must I promise?"

"It will not be easy, but if you break the promise you will turn to ash as my blood connects me to you. You will not feed on humans anymore and only on the blood of animals. You will keep this goblet and dagger with you and feed as you have seen here. I will provide you with an elixir of my blood to make the animal blood more palatable, as was the deer's blood. Do you understand?"

Eric was almost outraged and began to growl again. The fairy looked him directly in the eyes. Suddenly, his skin began to crack and turn ashen grey. He could not move and was frozen in place. The pain was unbearable, similar to burning, but there were no flames.

"Make your choice Eric Northman - live or die now!"

"Aghh...I...I AGREE!" Eric yelled and the sensation ended quickly and again his skin returned to normal. Whatever power Agneta held over him now there was no going back and he silently wished that he had died than be at the mercy of Agneta. However, as the sun rose, he felt conflicted. To see the sun rise and set and walk in the day, even if it was only when it rained or was foggy, forever could have its benefits. Now he could feel the bleeds coming on. "I have to sleep," he said tired from the torture he had endured.

Agneta turned and raised her arms and gently blew. A cloud of snow rose in the wind and covered the sky above the Saligen until it became grey and dark enough that Eric would not burn. He returned to the darkness of the overhang and hid under the furs for nightfall.

When Eric awoke it was early evening and the sunset had painted the sky with pinks and oranges and golden tones in the distance against the snow-capped peaks. The snow on the ground outside the overhang was a pale blue and the surrounding woods a dark green. Eric had forgotten all the colors of nature, as the night robbed everything of its splendor. It was going to take time getting use to light again and for now it was time to think about getting back to Bon Temps.

Outside the overhang on the hearth sat the crystal goblet, knife, and a crystal decanter with a rose liquid inside. Eric removed the lid to the decanter and inhaled deeply. The smell was indescribable and overwhelmed his senses. He could distinguish hints of honey, juniper, berries, and something so fresh and clean he could only think of a glacier.

"Be careful with that," a familiar voice floated across the air with a hint of mischief.

"Good evening Agneta," Eric responded coldly as he turned slowly to face his new menace. He had not decided completely if this new situation of becoming human again was good or very, very bad.

"You have questions you want answered." Agneta circled the fully healed vampire carefully. He could easily catch her and tear her limbs off at full strength.

"When you said you gave me back my humanity and I would change day to day, what exactly does that mean?"

"When you were made a vampire, your heart stopped beating and your blood changed, but your cells remained frozen in time. My blood has awoken your cells again and it is beginning to work its way through every part of your system." Agneta could sense a fear growing in Eric. "You worry that you will age rapidly and crumble to dust," she giggled.

How could she know what he was thinking! Eric tried to remain calm and indifferent towards Agneta, "Well then, tell me what will happen."

"First, you will not age any differently than a normal human. Secondly, you will lose your powers as a vampire, slowly over time. You will eventually stop feeding on blood and be able to eat real food again. You will get sick and you will even die like a human," she said with a tinge of sorrow. "I can hear your thoughts because I am bound to your family; I am more aware of you and your presence. However, now that my blood is a part of you, it is similar to what you vampires refer to as the relationship between maker and progeny. I can tell what you are thinking, because I can hear the faint beginnings of your thoughts and feel your emotions," she added. "Sookie, this name just came to your mind! Who is she?"

"Let's just say she is similar to you," Eric tried to hold back his thoughts towards Sookie, but it was difficult. If Agneta could read his thoughts, then this would mean that Sookie would now be able to hear his thoughts as well.

"She is half human and half fairy…" Agneta seemed excited. "…and you love her!"

Eric was becoming annoyed with where this conversation was going and he moved quickly, grabbing Agneta from behind in a bear hug with one hand on her throat. Agneta did not have time to react before he had hold of her. "I wouldn't try blasting me, if you know what is best! Now, I could squeeze and it would be the end of you. So, here is my deal in exchange for your life. Stay out of my head and either help me get back to Bon Temps or get out of my way and let me go!"

"Very well Eric Northman! You will need to release me and I can help get you back to Bon Temps."

Eric cautiously let her go.

"You cannot just show-up in the state you are now in, let us fix that first," Agneta said as she bent down and took a handful of snow and blew towards Eric. The snow swirled around his legs, moving upwards, and began to take on the appearance of white pants and a white sweater. A bag also appeared at his feet. "For the things you need to take back."

"Your quite handy, in some ways," Eric noted it might not be a bad idea to keep Agneta close by, should he need her.

"Now take hold of my hands," Agneta reached out toward Eric. Eric grabbed the items from the mantle of the hearth, closed the bag, and slung it over his shoulder. He took Agneta's hands and in a flash of blue light, it suddenly became warmer and he could hear the tingling of glass.

When the brightness cleared he recognized the place they stood immediately. They were in the fairy realm that looked exactly like the Bon Temps cemetery, except for several ornate chandlers that hung from various trees. Eric had found the portal to this place once before, as well as finding Warlow tied conveniently to a headstone. The light in the area seemed to dim as if someone had controlled it by a switch.

"How did you do that?" Eric asked

"All fairies can move from safe haven to safe haven, as we can sense these places. However, I have never had a reason to leave Saligen before now…" Agneta started.

"…and you are not staying," Eric cut her off before she could finish.

"You cannot control whether I stay or not! Anyways I am still bound to you and I wish to keep an eye on you, as you progress." Agneta said with a wicked smile.

Eric's thoughts deceived him as he made a move for her and Agneta blasted him hard enough to push him through the portal opening and out into the midday sun. The burning began immediately and Eric struggled to his feet. A pair of arms grabbed him through the portal and back into the safe haven, where it was much darker.

Besides the bleeds coming on, Eric now had scorch marks on his exposed skin. "Do not forget that I can hear your thoughts now Northman," Agneta reminded him as she dragged him back into the shade of the safe haven.

Sookie had been sunning herself in the front yard of her house while Alcide was away at work and suddenly was pulled away from her daydream by the intense feeling of pain and anger. Sookie heard a faint voice that she had not heard since the night she was given a note returning her family home to her. "Eric!"

The voice had only been a whisper and there was definitely not a person in sight. Eric had vanished after Bill had gone to the True Blood factory and vampire experimentation camp and saved Tara, Pam, and the others. Jason had said that it was really Eric who had stormed the facilities and single-handedly freed him and several others, but that it was Bill who saved the group at the end, before they fried in the sun. She definitely recognized that voice, but she could have sworn she heard it in her head. Why was she even thinking about this! Sookie got up and decided to go for a walk to clear her head.

Sookie put on the linen shirt she had on the blanket next to her. She walked towards the old cemetery, where she always seemed to find comfort and strength these days. Why had this popped into her mind? Maybe it was that she still had Eric's blood in her and, well, they had been so intimate. She had hoped that all that would have worn off by now, but apparently not.

There had been so many changes since the True Blood debacle though. Many vampires were gone from the virus they had acquired through the tainted True Blood, although a few marauders still popped up now and again. The vampire authority was barely rebuilding and Bill was still touring with his book. Things were going well with the vampire protection scheme that Sam had initiated as Mayor and the town had been able to fight off the first wave of infected vampires with the help of Violet, Tara, Jessica, and a few new ones that Sookie had not yet gotten to know. Then there was Tara and she had not fully repaired that relationship yet, but it seemed that she had found ground with her mother and her cousin, Lafayette, again.

As she came to the center of the cemetery, she suddenly could feel a presence. It was not something she was familiar with. It was not altogether unfamiliar or creepy either; just different. It suddenly dawned on her that someone had accessed the safe haven and she had better find out what was going on.

As Sookie entered the portal, she was hit by snow that clung to her eyelashes. "How is this possible," she gasped at the snow that flew around her. It was darker than usual, which meant that there was a vampire nearby. She saw a body lying in the grass, near where she had once left Warlow tied up. As she approached the person in white, she began to distinguish certain features which were familiar to her.

"Oh my God," Sookie came to an abrupt stop when she realized she was looking at Eric Northman lying in the snowy grass.

Eric rolled over and slightly opened his eyes. _Sookie…_

Sookie's eyes were as wide as saucers with the realization that Eric had just whispered her name, but he never opened his mouth. "HOLY CRAP ERIC! How am I hearing you in my head?"

"How is it possible that I can hear you telepathically? I'm not supposed to hear vampires!" Sookie stared at Eric in disbelief. "How did you get here Eric?" Sookie tried getting Eric to answer at least one of her questions as she knelt in the snow-covered grass next to him.

"It's a long story Sookie," Eric sighed and sat up to his elbow to face Sookie.

"Well start talkin' because you're not going anywhere till I get an explanation mister!" Sookie's heart was racing. She thought her feelings for Eric had gone away when he disappeared and with Alcide in her life, but they were quickly surfacing again. She was fighting the urge to both kiss and slap his face.

"You tell me what happened to Warlow first! One minute I'm enjoying my favorite view and the next I'm burning in the sun," Eric said with a tinge of anger behind his words.

_Bill probably staked him while he was tied up here…_

"For you information Bill did not stake him, Jason and I did. Warlow had a blood contract which forced me to marry him, but I couldn't do it once I found out he had killed my parents," Sookie said with a tone of conflict in her voice. "Anyways he attacked me in the house and I had no choice! I didn't know that the effects of his blood would wear off once he died," Sookie retaliated in defense to Eric's thoughts. "Wait… you just did it again! What the fuck is going on Eric!"

"Something has happened to me Sookie and I do not expect you to understand or even believe me…"Eric began his explanation but was cut off by the sound of bells behind Sookie.

"…I have given Eric a gift," the sweet sound of Agneta's voice made Sookie jump to her feet again and face this new creature.

"Who the heck are you?" Sookie put up her hands ready to blast this …well this being that she wasn't sure what it was.

"You may call me Agneta and I am a relative to the day fairies, like yourself. I am an ice fairy from the far north." Agneta smiled at Sookie and stood taking in this human that Eric loved so much. Agneta could understand Eric's attraction to Sookie, she was pretty and the lure of walking in the sun would have temped any vampire. However, Sookie had an uncanny strength and passion in her and she came from fairy royalty; Agneta could sense this about her.

"Agneta it is nice to meet you…I think. Are you responsible for bringing Eric back here and I assume the snow?" Sookie asked looking quickly between the two.

"Yes, as a fairy I could sense this place and brought Eric here. The snow is for both our protection. I saved his life, when he would have died a fiery death, exposed on the mountain high above his family home. I am bound to him and his family and I will fulfill my duty to protect him."

Sookie turned to face Eric who was finally able to get to his feet, "Eric Northman you have a fairy godmother and YOU KILLED MINE!" Sookie walked up to Eric and pounded on his chest with both fists.

Eric grabbed her fists before Sookie could strike again, "You can have mine if you wish. She is not as fun as your fairy goddess was. This one has a wicked taste." He couldn't help but drop fang between the smell of both Agneta and Sookie.

"Eric you're not as cold to the touch as normal!" Sookie looked him directly in the eyes, "What is going on?"

Agneta giggled and could not hold back her pleasure, "That would be my fault. In order to save him, I had to give him a large quantity of my blood, which is now changing him and eventually will make him human again."

"What!…That…That is impossible!" Sookie shook her head repeatedly at Eric. Eric reached out and held her head between his hands, forcing her to look at him.

"I would really like to continue this discussion another time Sookie! It is almost noon and I need too be underground right now!" Eric stated loud enough to rouse Sookie from the bewilderment she was experiencing after hearing what Agneta had revealed. "Do you still have the cubby in your house?"

"Yes, I had saved it for Tara…but she has never used it. Alcide won't be happy if I allow you back into the house!"

"I do not care about Alcide, I need to sleep Sookie! I am getting weaker every minute I am up during the day!" Eric said forcibly now.

Sookie came out of the haze she was in and she could feel the pain Eric was experiencing and see the blood that now oozed from his ears. "Damn it Eric!" How did he always find a way in to her life? Sookie didn't want to play this game again.

Eric's inner voice was not much more than a whisper on the wind. _Sookie please!_

"Do you think you can make it to the house?" Eric shook his head yes and grabbed the bag next to his feet. "The front door is open and Eric you may come in."

"I need your help getting out of here Sookie," Eric said aloud this time in a softer gentler voice and blinking sheepishly at Sookie. Sookie could sense it was difficult for Eric to ask for her help.

With that Sookie took Eric's hands and transported Eric and herself out of the fairy realm and back into the Bon Temps cemetery. Eric began to scorch again, but he had enough strength left to speed to the house in his typical blur. Sookie could only hear the faint sound of the front door slamming behind Eric as he entered the house like a gust of wind. She hoped that she had not made a mistake helping Eric today, but she had just experienced a shock of her life. ERIC WAS BECOMING HUMAN!

Sookie stood for a moment and then turned back to the portal and re-entered the fairy realm. Sookie needed to find out exact what Agneta had done to Eric and what to expect as Eric underwent this transformation that Agneta claimed to have started. Sookie was skeptical that Eric could become human again, but that was beyond what might actually be happening to him.

When Sookie re-entered the snow was dissipating and the sun was starting to peak through in the sky above. Sookie's memory flashed back to lying on the bed next to Eric and looking up with the snow gently falling between the trees. The time she had spent with Eric, when he had lost his memory, had been almost magical. She really had fallen in love with him and when push came to shove she been too torn to decide between Eric and Bill. She remembered the night she decided to walk away from both of them. It had seemed like the only alternative and she knew Eric had been hurt deeply.

Until they were forced together, as they fled from the Lilith inhabited Bill, she had not seen Eric and he no longer stayed at the house. That night all hell broke loose at the Vampire Authority and Sookie finally heard the truth from Bill, she had been nothing to him. He had made it clear that she was an abomination according to the vampire bible. In the aftermath, Sookie had somehow found the strength to stake Bill to save Eric from being overpowered and killed by an empowered Bill. Afterwards, Eric had offered to give Sookie the means to go anywhere, but she had refused him again, knowing that Bill would most likely follow her anywhere she went. Eric had even given her back the house that night, though he didn't have to.

Thinking about it now, Bill had always been protective and almost jealous and possessive of her. Eric had always wanted her, but he had wanted her to want him just as much. Even after Eric regained all his memories, he had always given Sookie a choice about things between them. All she could think was how many times had Eric saved her life and it was only fair that she start returning a little kindness now that he might need her help. Maybe they could rebuild a friendship of sorts, even though Sookie doubted Eric could control his blood lust for her. Oh god, then there was Alcide and what was she going to say to him!

"Agneta! Agneta, I need to talk to you!" Sookie shouted into the empty landscape of the fairy realm before her. There was silence until the chandeliers began to tingle as a breeze blew through them. Sookie heard the sound of bells and Agneta appeared on the path ahead of Sookie.

"Thank you for helping Eric, Sookie," Agneta said as she approached. "I could not help him past the fairy realm, as you could."

"I need to understand…" Sookie began as she looked at Agneta slightly cautious of what Agneta may say, "…what exactly is happening to Eric?"

"He is indeed becoming human again from the healing power that is in my blood." Agneta took some of the snow from the ground and blew. As the snow swirled a small table and two chairs appeared between Sookie and Agneta. "Please have a seat, I will not bite, unlike our mutual friend," Agneta said with a smile.

"I cannot even begin to understand uniqueness of the powers that you possess," Sookie said as she sat across the table from Agneta. "You do not seem like you would try and hurt Eric, intentionally. I worry with all the people and vampires that Eric may have pissed off in a thousand years that he has enemies who will find out about him becoming human and come after him."

"That may very well happen, but Eric must have friends that will come to his aid – like you!"

"Eric doesn't have many friends and we did not part on the best of terms," Sookie answered shaking her head no, as if to accent this point.

"He loves you though," Agneta leaned forward and grabbed Sookie's hands that rested on the table top.

Agneta's touch was cold and sent a chill up Sookie's arms. "How do you know that?" Sookie said pulling back from Agneta.

"I apologize; I have forgotten that you are both fairy and human." Agneta pulled back as well and smiled shyly. "Can you not hear his thoughts, as I can?"

"Well, yes but…" Sookie did not get a chance to answer completely before Agneta jumped in.

"You have the same telepathic capabilities as fairies, therefore you must hone them in on Eric to read his deepest thoughts and you will find the answer there, whether I speak the truth about his love for you." Agneta seemed to plead with Sookie.

"Maybe I don't want to know Eric's deepest thoughts about me or other people that he and I might know," Sookie replied defensively thinking about Pam and Tara especially. She had spent a life time listening to other people's most inner thoughts and she had tried to drown them out. Not hearing Bill or Eric or any vampire had been a reprieve.

"I think you will find many answers there to questions that still remain unanswered for you," Agneta could read Sookie's own fear in her answer. "Eric is scared and things will change for him day-to-day. As for now he is very much the vampire that you know, but he will be able to see the sunrise and sunset and he will be able to walk in the day only when the sun is blocked by a storm in some way. His powers will weaken over time, but he is progressing more rapidly than expected."

"What do you mean, more rapidly than expected?" This was a bit of a surprise to Sookie.

"I can hear his thoughts very clearly now and it should have taken much longer before you could have heard him." Agneta seemed to ponder this development herself.

"Maybe…Maybe it is because he has had so much fairy blood recently!" Sookie offered as an explanation. "He feed on me a few times, then there was my fairy godmother, Claudine, he used Adaline's blood to access the portal here, and he even drank Warlow's blood which allowed him to walk in the sun. All fairies and all recently"

"That may very well be! " Agneta had not thought about the possibility of Eric's prior consumption of fairy blood and the effect it would have in connection to her blood in him now.

"Will he age rapidly?" Sookie asked with a look of concern at the thought of seeing a thousand-year old man suddenly appear before her.

Agneta giggled and responded, "No he will be no different from the moment he was changed to a vampire. He will be the man he was again and start to age regularly."

"How is it that no one has ever heard of this before? You would think that if vampires could become human again they would have created a cure from fairies like you!"

Agneta became agitated by Sookie's question and responded courtly, "I am the last of my kind! My kind suffered being hunted from both humans and vampires. There were those who do not want a cure for vampirism and they hunted us until we barely existed." Agneta stood and turned her back to Sookie. "My last sister died at the hands of a vampire, who like Eric had been offered the chance to become human again and she tore my sister apart."

"I…I am so sorry Agneta, I did not know. Sounds like vampires have brought both our peoples a great deal of pain and death," Sookie tried to comfort Agneta a bit by letting her know that she shared her pain.

"It is time for change to begin and Eric will be the first freed from the blood lust that vampires experience." Agneta turned to face Sookie again.

"What exactly do you mean by that?" Sookie probed Agneta.

"Eric can no longer drink from humans, otherwise I have the power to turn him to dust. My blood allows him to break free of the need for human blood and should he drink from man or woman again, I will know it and I will make sure he will cease to exist." Agneta looked directly into Sookie's eyes as she made this statement. "I have provided him with an elixir and the means to follow through with his promise to me. You will help him Sookie or Eric Northman will be no more!"

"Now hold on a moment…" Sookie began to protest, but Agneta disappeared in a swirl of snow and was gone.

"Agneta! You cannot do this to me!" Sookie suddenly fell to the ground as the chair she was sitting on also dissolved with Agneta's departure. "Ahh man! Shit!"

At least Sookie had gotten some answers as to what was happening to Eric and she left the fairy realm deep in thought as how to proceed from here. Sookie took note that it was late afternoon and that she had lost a few hours while she was in the fairy realm again. Even though it was getting close to sunset, she took her time walking back up to the house which gave her a chance to think about how she was going to break the news to Alcide concerning their new house guest.

When Sookie reached the front door, she entered quietly and creep across the living room to the Nordic cabinet that still hid the cubby Eric had built for himself. She carefully unlocked the door and peered down the shaft listening for any sound from below. It was dead quiet. She closed the door and slinked back to the kitchen to sit and wait. As soon as she reached the kitchen she sat down and sighed. Only one thought penetrated her mind, _Grams how do I keep getting myself into these things!_

Sookie sat quietly for about a half hour before she heard Alcide's truck pull up. He was home early and Sookie had not even had time to think about making something to eat. At this point with everything that had happened she wasn't sure if she was even hungry. She stood up and went to the kitchen window, where she could see Alcide coming towards the back door, but there was a woman still sitting in his passenger seat. Sookie did not recognize her, but it could have been someone from the local pack that Alcide used to be a part of.

When Alcide came in he stopped short and ran his fingers through his hair, "Hey…I wasn't sure if you would be here or not."

"I'm off today or did you forget." Sookie teased him and then looked away as she tried to gain confidence for what she had to tell Alcide.

"Oh yeah, I forgot," Alcide said shifting uncomfortably. "I need to tell you something Sookie and it won't be easy."

"Okay, what's up and …who is sitting in the truck?"

"Well you see… that is what I have to talk to you about. Daniella, she was part of the pack I controlled for a while." Alcide said looking down at his hat that he held wringing in his hands.

"Oh, is she okay or in some sort of trouble?" Sookie glanced out the window before adding, "She can come in ya know."

"No, I don't think that would be a good idea Sookie. This is difficult enough as it is."

"Well then, spit it out Alcide!" Sookie could hear his inner thoughts repeating over and over _Dear God! Help me!_

"Daniella is pregnant…and she's been kicked out of the pack," Alcide took a breath and looked away from Sookie. Then he shifted a little as Sookie looked at him a bit confused. "I am the baby's father and Daniella needs my help."

Sookie did not know what to say. Shock was taking over when she answered, "How can we help her? Does she need money or a place to stay for a while?"

"No Sookie, she needs just me…I need to be there for her and the baby. She has no home and no pack for protection and no one else can help. I need time away to figure things out thing for her and for me."

"Are you saying that you are leaving me for Daniella?" Sookie grabbed hold of the sink for stability.

"Daniella was a pack mate and gave herself to me as her pack leader. I had a relationship with her before you and I were together. I am responsible for her and she will need my help if the child turns out to be a werewolf. I can't bring her into the house and ask that you accept all this; that is not fair. So, she and I are going back to my house where I can figure some things out… for now."

Sookie shook her head as if understanding at first, then the pain came out unexpectedly, "Well, good Alcide! You see I have something to tell you too. Eric Northman is underneath us right now in the cubby and I am letting him stay here because he needs my help now as well!"

"What the fuck Sookie!" Alcide started to growl, "you let him into our house!"

"It isn't your house and he needs me Alcide, the same way Daniella needs you apparently!"

"This is completely different," Alcide retaliated. "I knew deep down you were never over him. Bill you had closure with, but when Eric disappeared you never got to bury your feelings for him; especially with Jason always bringing him up!"

"He saved Jason and Violet's life, Alcide! Jason shared blood with Eric; Jason couldn't help but bring him up!" Sookie now shook with anger and adrenaline.

"Then it is settled, I'm leaving immediately! I am not sharing you with either of those fucking vampers ever again!" Alcide turned and left through the back door with a gruff.

Sookie yelled, "Good then…just go!" She bit her lip to hold back the tears.

Alcide walked rapidly back to the truck and got in. Sookie could see Daniella turn to look at her through the kitchen window as Alcide started the engine. Alcide hit the gas a little too hard, enough to send a few rocks flying across the garden beds and Sookie could hear one ricochet off the house siding.

What had just happened! Sookie gasped and put both hands over her mouth in shock. She wiped away the tears that streamed down her cheeks and turned towards the living room. As she passed through the doorway, the setting sun made the room glow and there stood Eric in silence. He looked hard at Sookie and then moved quickly to where he was right in front of her, face to face. He didn't say a word even though it was obvious from his look that he had heard every word exchanged with Alcide. He simply held Sookie tight in his arms and kissed the top of her head. "Don't hold it in Sookie."

Sookie clenched the fabric of Eric's sweater and screamed into his chest. The tears flowed and Sookie cried hard against Eric's body. _Why?_ She repeated over and over to herself. _Why?_

When Sookie had let it all out she sat on the sofa with her feet tucked up on the cushion edge and her knees to her chest, hugging a pillow. "Son of a bitch! Just when everything seemed normal for once in my life, the winds of chaos begin to blow again."

"Here, drown your sorrow with this." Eric handed Sookie a glass of whiskey from the liquor cabinet.

She took the glass and quietly added, "Thanks."

Eric lifted his crystal goblet and said, "Gud ger varje fågel en mask, men han inte kasta den in i boet."

"What does that mean?" Sookie asked curiously.

"God gives every bird a worm, but he does not throw it into the nest. A Swedish Proverb," Eric translated as he sat down on the couch next to Sookie and glanced sideways at her. "You're the worm by the way, if you didn't know it!" Eric gave her one of his sly smiles.

"Thanks, I think I figured that out!" Sookie took a sip of the whiskey and winced. "I sometimes feel as if I am slowly being picked apart by the three of you all."

"I apologize for my part, I never intended for that to happen to you." Eric glanced at Sookie's feet, unable to look her straight in the eye.

Sookie took another sip of her drink. How was this supposed to make someone feel better, she would never know. Whiskey just left her with a dull feeling in the morning. The silence between them was unnerving to Sookie.

"Where did you go? I mean why didn't you come back with the others?" Sookie asked facing Eric more directly.

Eric took a sip of the elixir mixed with pigs blood he had procured from a neighboring farm and it reminded him of claret from the Bordeaux region of southern France. His eyes fluttered before he answered, "I went home. I wanted to find peace myself."

"But you left Pam and Willa behind…Didn't you want to be with them after what had happened to them?"

Eric looked at her deeply, "No… I had lost all that really mattered to me."

"You mean Nora, don't you?" Sookie probed a little deeper, but trying not to enrage Eric. She knew that there had been a deeper connection with Nora, as they had both been made by Godric.

"Yes." Eric looked straight ahead at the floor and swallowed hard thinking of Nora, but then he added, "Godric was gone, and then Nora, my sister, died in my arms ...and then you."

Sookie didn't hear any inner thoughts from Eric; he was saying exactly what he was thinking. Sookie caught Eric's addition, but she continued, "Well, I never got to say thank you…for finding Jason, that is."

"Hopefully, he thought of me fondly after tasting my blood!" Eric smiled at the thought of the erotic dreams that Jason must have experienced.

"Well if it was anything like what I experienced from tasting your blood, it took a while for him to not see you lying in bed next to him." Sookie's statement made them both laugh and smile.

"Now that is more like the Sookie I like to hear!" Eric said with a teasing sound to his voice that Sookie recalled from when Eric had asked her to be his.

Sookie took another drink to make sure Eric did not catch her eyes lingering on him to long. "Well, I think I need to soak and then sleep," Sookie said setting the glass on the end table next to the sofa. "I've kinda been through the wringer today."

As she stood up a little fast, the world seemed to tilt out from under her and she stumbled to her right slightly. Eric caught her as quick as lightening. He lifted her off her feet and into his arms. His face was just inches from hers and he seemed to ponder her lips for just a moment. He straightened and readjusted her. _Not yet, it isn't right._ Sookie could hear a voice calling for Eric to restrain himself. Agneta was right there was still love for her hiding deep inside Eric.

In a flash Eric had her upstairs and in front of the bathroom door. "Your hot water awaits you," Eric murmured as he set her feet down to the floor. Sookie rested herself against the length of Eric's body for just a moment before she backed away.

As Sookie turned to close the door, she looked over her shoulder at Eric who now stood by the top of the stairs and said, "Thank you Eric."

"Goodnight Miss Stackhouse." Eric said softly.


End file.
